Author
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Wang, Dong |
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CIVEROLO, ED - Consultant |
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Submitted to: Citrograph
Publication Type: Trade Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 5/16/2014 Publication Date: 7/15/2014 Citation: Wang, D., Civerolo, E. 2014. California Drought: Impact on Citrus Trees and Potential Mitigation. Citrograph. 5:14-19. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: California is in another cycle of extended drought. The article reviews and discusses likely impact of the current drought on citrus growers and potential mitigation techniques. Citrus physiological responses to water stress is briefly reviewed. The direct impact of drought on citrus is reduced fruit size and yield. Management techniques that citrus growers could use to reduce losses from the current and future droughts are discussed from several focus points by considering the fundamental plant-soil-water-weather relations. To reduce water usage, growers could consider removing all unnecessary vegetation from the orchards such as weeds and cover crops or pruning the trees more aggressively. Better soil management such as organic matter and nutrient amendments would increase water holding capacity and better root growth, hence water uptake. It is also important to select micro-irrigation systems that can apply water more efficiently. Growers are recommended to evaluate their current method of irrigation scheduling to provide timely and precisely the amount of water required for consumptive use by the trees. To help mitigate future drought, growers may consider choosing drought tolerant varieties or rootstocks with strong and rigorous root system for water and nutrient uptake. Deficit irrigation may be considered for conserving water during certain growth stages. Remote sensing and new sensor technology may be deployed to measure spatial distribution of crop water status at near real-time and to guide site-specific and variable rate irrigation. |
